Region's home prices gaining

Published: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 9:36 p.m.

Southwest Florida kept pace in January with a national trend that saw home prices post sizeable gains from the year before, new data show.

The price of homes sold in the greater Sarasota area in January grew by 11.7 percent, compared with the same month one year ago, while also increasing modestly from December, according to an index released Tuesday by the real estate data provider CoreLogic Inc.

The firm's home-price index also showed real estate nationwide appreciated by 9.7 percent from January 2012 -- the biggest increase since April 2006 and the 11th consecutive monthly increase in home prices nationally.

All but two states, Delaware and Illinois, saw year-over-year price gains.

Despite the progress, Florida remains among five states with the largest peak-to-current value declines, trailing only Nevada with a 43 percent drop.

"The HPI showed strong growth during the typically slow winter season," Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic, said in a statement.

"With these gains, the housing market is poised to enter the spring selling season on sound footing," Fleming said.

"The improvements are materializing across the country, with all but Delaware and Illinois showing increasing HPI and 15 states within 10 percent of their peak values."

<p>Southwest Florida kept pace in January with a national trend that saw home prices post sizeable gains from the year before, new data show.</p><p>The price of homes sold in the greater Sarasota area in January grew by 11.7 percent, compared with the same month one year ago, while also increasing modestly from December, according to an index released Tuesday by the real estate data provider CoreLogic Inc.</p><p>The firm's home-price index also showed real estate nationwide appreciated by 9.7 percent from January 2012 -- the biggest increase since April 2006 and the 11th consecutive monthly increase in home prices nationally.</p><p>All but two states, Delaware and Illinois, saw year-over-year price gains.</p><p>Despite the progress, Florida remains among five states with the largest peak-to-current value declines, trailing only Nevada with a 43 percent drop.</p><p>"The HPI showed strong growth during the typically slow winter season," Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic, said in a statement.</p><p>"With these gains, the housing market is poised to enter the spring selling season on sound footing," Fleming said.</p><p>"The improvements are materializing across the country, with all but Delaware and Illinois showing increasing HPI and 15 states within 10 percent of their peak values."</p>